Obi-Wan Kenobi (J)

Not great as a pilot or a Character and completely out-classed by Obi-Wan (L). His first ability has limited value—many games this would never need to be used. Giving a Starfighter 4 for 4 Evade is ok if you’re being attacked by high-power capital ships, but won’t help against most Death Stars or swarms of opposing Starfighters. You would be better off with any of the other 5 Build Obi-Wan’s ((K), (L), (M), (S)) or a better Starfighter pilot if that's the direction of your deck. The best ship for this Obi-Wan to pilot seems to me to be a Jedi Interceptor - which could Intercept and Evade for 1 or 4, but of course this would require a TON of Force.

Rating: 1.75

Obi-Wan Kenobi (K)

A Sith's headache at 5 Build, swinging 7 dice with Critical Hit 2 against them. He won't be around too long against the Sith with that 4 Health and 40 Speed, but can be a nice direct attack - he's served me well against Emperor Palpatine (D). This is a nice Obi-Wan to have in a stack, ready to come to the top for free if an opponent puts a Sith into the Character arena. He is a huge target for the Sith, who will almost certainly strike first, but they still have to deal 6 or more damage in order to kill him in one hit. It's fun to stack this Obi-Wan with his (E) version because he will be ready for any threat.

Rating: 3.5

Obi-Wan Kenobi (L)

Here's a unit with a LOT of versaltility. His +10 Speed, +1 Power, and 1 for 1 Evade are solid pilot bonuses. What makes him worthwhile is his ability to pilot with no risk. Pairs well with any Starfighter, especially ones with Accuracy, Critical Hit, or Stun (attributes which gain the most from his bonuses). Obi-Wan (L) can help out in the Character arena if you're desperate or if your opponent plays a Stealth unit. He stands above the other pilot Obi-Wan's in that he can move to the Character arena regardless of whether the unit was discarded.

Rating: 4

Obi-Wan Kenobi (M)

I never understood why Wizards made Obi-Wan Kenobi (M), and I don't know that I've ever actually played this card. The Accuracy is nice, but doesn't offset the poor Evade. 4 Health and a 3 for 2 Evade is seldom sufficient to hold the Character arena. What makes a 2 for 2 Evade (Obi-Wan's standard ability) so good is that you can use it twice on a turn with standard Force gain. Perhaps they were trying to go for a more offense-oriented Obi-Wan but this effort falls flat.

Rating: 2

Obi-Wan Kenobi (N)

Here's a unit that's better than it seems on first blush. 8 Build for 60/5/5 is not good, and I think they really made him pay for his Jedi Master subtype. (Also, his image is an unfortunate choice for Wizards, vying for Luke Skywalker (L) for "most in-distress,"). Where he shines, as much as against Sith, is against swarms. That 1 for 2 Evade can really put the brakes on the opposing hordes. This Obi-Wan is awesome in a stack, to be placed on top you face a lot of enemy Characters or a Sith. His considerable Speed can help him get the jump on powerful Sith.

Rating: 3.75

Obi-Wan Kenobi (O)

This Obi-Wan vies with his Obi-Wan Kenobi (I) version for "most-powerful Obi-Wan" (not to be confused with "best overall"). Where Obi-Wan Kenobi (I) gives you a strong attacker, Obi-Wan Kenobi (O) gives you defense. 9 Build gets you a unit that has the potential to stick around for a long time, as his combination of 2 for 2 Evade and Parry 2 shuts down a load of damage. In the right circumstances this Obi-Wan would be worthy of a much highter rating, however, Darth Vader (R) and Darth Vader (S) can ruin his day in that they bypass both of his abilities. If either Vader is played and Obi-Wan is stacked, it would be better to switch to Obi-Wan (N) or even Obi-Wan (K) for all-out offense. Since Darth Vader (R) and Darth Vader (S) are Dark Side staples (not to mention two of the most powerful units in the game), it is not a good idea to have this Obi-Wan be your only hope. He also sort of comes up short against many of the dark side's other heavy-hitters, for example: Darth Tyranus (J)'s Lucky ability almost always shuts down Obi-Wan's Parry. Don't discount this Obi-Wan, though, as investing in defense often wins games.

Rating 3.75

Obi-Wan Kenobi (P)

A Creature pilot counterpart to Starfighter-piloting Obi-Wan (L). He makes a Krayt Dragon or a Rancor especially deadly, again at no risk to himself. However, the fact that he goes to the Build zone tapped instead of the Character arena put's him behind Obi-Wan (L), who can potentially attack or hold the arena the same turn his piloted ship is discarded. He can have a place in a LS Creature deck.

Rating: 3

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Q)

Hidden Cost is no doubt a powerful ability. This is a great unit to Hidden Cost in for 3 Force after all the enemy's Characters are tapped, attack, then start stacking the next Build step. It can really help to save 3 Build points. Cards like Obi-Wan Kenobi (Q) have saved my bacon more than once by holding an arena at the last minute and he has the additional bonus of being able to stick around due to his Evade. Any unit with a Hidden Cost requires at least a second look simply on the virtue of that one ability. This powerful unit works great in many decks.

Rating: 4.25

Obi-Wan Kenobi (R)

In some ways an amalgam of his Starfighter and Creature pilot versions and Clone leaders. His Speeder piloting bonus of a 1 for 1 Evade is slight, but, again, with no risk it can be nice--but only if your Character arena is either abandoned or fortified. Obi-Wan [R]'s defense is respectable with armor, 6 health, and the 0 for 1 Evade he gives himself, and would have skyrocketed if he also had his typical 2 for 2 Evade. This unit is strong in a clone deck and requires very little Force. This Obi-Wan brings some much-needed defense to Light Side Clones, who are already an offensive threat due to Clone Grenade.

Rating: 3.5

Obi-Wan Kenobi (S)

Relies on equipment and one of the few Jedi with no defense. The idea is basically to have a Character Equipment card built, 5 available Force, and get 2 attacks at 60 Speed. A respectable threat to most DS units with 50 Speed or less (without Stealth, of course). Because he is such a one-shot threat he will be the target of opponent's attacks. It can be tricky to execute, but his damage potential with Qui-Gon's Lightsaber (B) against Dark Jedi is astronomical. However, conditions are rare that all such an attack would come to fruition.

Rating: 3.25

Conclusions:

Perhaps the best Obi-Wan stack would be to start by deploying a Hidden-costed (Q), then go with either (O) or (I) on top and (N) underneath for swarms/Dark Jedi. Overall, Obi-Wan compares favorably to other Characters--especially considering cards that key off him like Kenobi's Clone Army (A), ARC Trooper Squad, and various Anakin's. He is not as formidable at dominating the Character arena as Mace or Yoda (or certainly Vader), but he has a deep stack and can adapt to many threats. For the future, I hope the IDC makes an Obi-Wan from A New Hope with Stealth, and "teamwork" cards with Luke, Anakin, Qui-Gon, Yoda etc.

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